Google’s Nest opens platform to developers

Google’s Nest Labs has opened up its platform to outside developers, which is a large step by the thermostat and smoke-detector company. Using Nest, users will be able to communicate with appliances from Whirlpool, cars from Mercedes-Benz, and remote controls from Logitech, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Google is also a partner and is offering access to its personal digital assistant Google Now so that users can set the temperature on a Nest thermostat automatically when it detects that a user is coming home.

Nest will share limited user information with Google and its partners. People will have to opt in for each new device. Nest’s partners can link their software and applications to Nest’s thermostat, which will act as a control and information hub for devices in the home and around the home. Whirlpool washers and dryers will get alerts from Nest after homeowners leave, which would allow them to switch to settings to get rid of mold and wrinkles.

After homeowners go on vacation, Nest’s thermostat will alert LIFX’s connected light bulbs to turn on and off so that it appears someone is home. Nest said that over 5,000 developers expressed interest in working on the Nest platform. Nest is launching an investment fund called the Thoughtful Things Fund. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Google Ventures are involved in this fund.

This past Friday, Nest agreed to buy Dropcam for $555 million. Dropcam sells an Internet-connected video monitoring service that streams live video to mobile apps and sends alerts based on activity that cameras sense. Dropcam also lets users communicate wth people in their homes while they are away. Some of the companies that have partnered with Nest includes Jawbone, Chamberlain Group, and IFTTT.